Saving it for a Rainy Day

This morning I didn’t feel like running. The rain was pouring down, it was early, I was tired from yesterday’s long run, and I just felt BLAH.

I ran anyway.

I stepped in puddles, knowing my shoes would take a day or days to dry out. They already smell pretty rank, so that wasn’t appreciated… but I sought the silver linings in the clouds.

After slipping into a bit of a groove, I decided to push just one mile. The result was a time that was, well… unimpressive. Even so, I was happy to be running, to be drinking sips from the cups of youth and health and fitness, and to be running pain-free.

Not to let the rain dampen my joy, I sought other up-sides to the run… and found them. One was in the form of a turtle on the path, slipping into his shell as I glided past. Never mind the intimation that I was a turtle myself, compared to my pace of just a few months ago. We were sharing the path, in our own way.

Another joy was a blackberry bush, joyously declaring its bounty. I’ll be back there, for sure.

Yet another up-side: While running along the tree-line, out of the green burst a bird with a wide wingspan that was obviously a bird of prey… and a fraction of a second later, it was clear that I’d been treated to a Bald Eagle. Magnificent.

Not all rainy days are bad days; and not all “off” runs aren’t worth beginning. Sometimes the joy does indeed lie in the journey.